Some things never change
by chibiwriter
Summary: Oneshot. Ethan's called Kira, Conner, Trent, Dr. O, Anton Mercer and Elsa for a reunion. Why?


**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban**

The house was huge. Kira Ford let a small smile grace her lips as she looked at the mansion her old friend, Ethan James, called home. Not that he was there very much. Ever since his company had _finally_ taken off the ground, he'd been traveling the world, closing business deals with various countries. And he was on the verge of completing his dream of creating a power source to enable police officers to become Power Rangers. The last time she'd spoken to him – over a month ago – he'd just stumbled upon a way to draw power directly from the Power Grid – as they had when they'd been Power Rangers.

At that thought, he mind drifted to the promise they'd made, about nineteen years ago. The promise they'd made in Hayley's cyberspace after prom. The one that they'd call each other every month, meet once every year. Her smile turned bittersweet as she thought about how the promise had turned into nothing. They'd separated as, as expected, drifted apart. Trent had gone on to art school, graduated with, literally, flying colors and was now the proud author of several best selling comics. After finishing college, Conner had played for the Reefside Wave for the while, before moving onto the international scene. He'd even managed to play in the Fifa world cup, before retiring early to open up that chain of soccer schools he'd talked about. Dr. O had stayed in Reefside, and was still teaching in the high school. So far, all his students had graduated with honors and gone on to great colleges and universities. Hayley still owned and ran her cyberspace. She'd, with the help of Anton Mercer, had finally been able to buy the land the cybercafé was built on. And, thinking of Anton Mercer made Kira smile at the memory of his wedding to Principal Randall. That had been the last time they'd all been together, more than fifteen years ago.

Which was why, when Ethan had called her, out of the blue, and said he was planning a reunion, she'd been stunned. But not stunned stupid. She'd, much to her manager's chagrin, immediately dropped whatever plans she'd made on the date he proposed, and had flown back. And she was now winding her way up the curving driveway to Ethan's mountain retreat.

He was standing at the door, dressed in a turtleneck in his signature color, and black slacks. He was holding a wineglass and had his free hand tucked into the front pocket of his slacks. "Kira!" He grinned cheerily at her as she got out of the car, shivering slightly as the cold mountain air hit her bare skin. She was dressed warmly enough in a yellow turtleneck, but she'd chosen – why she couldn't remember – to wear a shortish jeans skirt and boots that only went knee high. Which left a few inches of her thighs bare to the cold.

"Hey Ethan," she jogged up the stairs to him, smiling at his wide grin. "Is anyone here yet?"

"Trent got here yesterday. He stayed the night." Ethan added as they stepped into his too large to be true foyer.

Kira's stomach did the little flipflop it always performed at the mention of Trent's name. She suddenly felt like hitting something. You'd think, after all the years that had passed, she'd have gotten over her stupid all too high school crush over him. But…apparently not, she thought as they walked into the great room and she saw him standing by the fire, dressed in a long sleeved white shirt and rumpled jeans. He turned his head as they entered, and a warm smile curved his lips. "Hey."

"Hey," Kira replied.

"What do you want to drink?" Ethan asked.

"Vodka on the rocks would be good for me, thanks," she said.

As he moved off to assemble her drink at the medium sized she'd noted to the side of the room, Kira looked Trent over. "You're looking nice."

"Thanks." His smile widened. "You look nice as well."

She felt her cheeks heat up. "Thanks."

They fell quiet. Luckily, Ethan returned with his drink before the silence became awkward. "So, Eth," she turned to face their resident genius, lifting her glass to her lips. "What's this all about?"

"All in good time, Kira." His smile turned smugly mysterious. "All in good time."

Even before he'd finished his sentence, chimes ran insistently. "'Scuse me," he disappeared before Kira could question him further. She gave Trent a pointed look. He shrugged.

"Don't look at me." He said with a half smile. "I spent most of last night trying to get him to tell me and I got about as far as you."

"Hmm…" thinking of ways to make Ethan talk, Kira lifted her glass to her lips once more as Ethan, accompanied by Conner, entered the room. The lanky ex-soccer was dressed in a dark red sweatshirt and jeans. He smiled as he spotted them.

"Hey," he joined them by the fire, Ethan disappearing to the bar once more. "What's up?"

"That's what we want to know," Kira replied, and rolled her eyes. "Ethan's being stubbornly silent."

""Not stubbornly," he returned, handing Conner his chosen drink. "Mysteriously."

"When you smile like that, you look a lot like the geek-boy in Trent's new comic." Conner observed.

"That's because I modeled that character after him," Trent replied, and laughed at Ethan's expression. "Just joking," he added, holding up his hands, palms out, in surrender.

"Who else are we waiting for?" Kira asked. "Seeing as you're still refusing to tell us what's going on."

"Dr. O, Dr. Mercer and Elsa." He replied promptly. They still called Dr. Mercer's wife and Trent's step-mum Elsa. She didn't – surprisingly – mind.

"No Hayley?" Trent asked.

Ethan didn't have a chance to reply as the chimes went off again. "I'm starting to hate those," Kira commented as he dashed off. "Every time we get somewhere, off they go and off he goes."

Trent smiled at the peevishness in her voice. Some things never changed, no matter how many years passed. "Let him have his fun," Conner suggested, raising his drink of his lips. "God knows he hardly has any with the company."

"For Ethan, the company _is_ fun," Trent pointed out in a wry voice. He turned so he was slightly angled towards Kira. "Where'd you fly in from?"

"Greece," she replied. "How'd you know I flew in?"

"Ethan," he said. He looked at Conner. "Aren't you opening a soccer school in the area?"

"Yeah." Conner nodded. "Constructions going really well so far."

"Construction?" Kira asked, and a sarcastic edge tilted her voice. "I thought all you needed for a soccer school was an empty field, a couple of goals and a retired soccer player."

Conner laughed at the reminder of how his now blooming business had started out. "We've come a long way."

"We have," Trent agreed.

"But some things don't change," Kira added, turning to greet the rest of the group. There was Anton Mercer, one hand enveloping his wife's. And Dr. O, his dark hair no longer spiked, and with white at his temples.

Elsa smiled, and hugged Kira, before giving Trent a warm kiss on the cheek. "Do any of you know what we're here for?" Dr. O asked, his hands in his dark pockets. He, too, was dressed in his signature color, from head to toe.

"Nope," the three younger people immediately replied. Ethan had, once more, disappeared.

"I guess we're waiting again," Trent commented.

"How've you been son?" Anton asked. "We haven't spoken in some time."

"I've been good," he replied. "My new comic's doing well."

"It's great, sir," Conner added. "I love it."

"You love any comic," Kira teased him.

Dr. O laughed. "Some things never change," he said with a smile, unknowingly echoing Kira's earlier statement.

"All righty, ladies and gentlemen!" Ethan called out as he re-entered the room. A familiar red head stood beside him. "It's time for me to reveal the reason you're here. Follow me," he added, and was off.

Looking at the other, the group followed him, Trent, Conner and Kira putting their glasses on the mantle before doing so. He led the way through wood paneled halls and several flights of stairs until they were stopped by a steel door took stood floor and ceiling, wall to wall. There was a pad on it, with an imprint of a hand. Hayley put her hand there, since Ethan was busy fielding questions from the less than patient Conner.

The light above her hand flashes, and the automatic locks within the door whirred. Then it opened.

The hall behind the door was larger than the hall before it. Painted all in white, there was a large window lining one wall, with a just as long control board under it. Ethan instructed them to line up in front of the window. Looking at him warily, they did as he asked; Trent beside Kira beside Conner beside Dr. O beside Ethan beside Hayley beside Anton beside Elsa. Beyond the window stood three young men and two young women.

Ethan pressed a button and spoke; "all right." An intercom, Kira realized.

Then all thought flew from her mind as the five people in the chamber beyond the window held out what looked like chunky PDAs and yelled out; "SPD!"

Different colored lights took over their bodies, whirling and hiding them from light. And, when the lights disappeared, there stood five people dressed in different colored suits and matching helmets. "Oh my god…" that came from Elsa – a faint sound of wonder.

"Are they…really?" Trent managed.

Ethan grinned what Kira had long ago termed as his geek-boy smug grin. "Power Rangers? Oh yeah."

"You did it." Conner grinned. "You did it!"

"I don't believe it." Kira felt like dancing. She settled for reaching out and exchanging that special handshake she and Ethan had developed in high school, during their own Ranger days. "I can't believe it."

"They're not real rangers," Hayley said. "At least not yet. We've only been able to make them morph. It uses a huge amount of even from both the Power grind and their own bodies to achieve this. But it's progress." She added. "It's getting there."

Dr. O reached over Ethan to put his hand on her shoulder. "It's great, what you're doing. Having morphers ready in case trouble like Mesagog," a small, wry smile flit over Anton's lips, "strikes again."

She smiled at him. "Thanks Tommy."

Anton turned to Ethan. "Now I know what I've been putting my money into and I have to, I can't be prouder to be part of this."

"Why S.P.D.?" Conner asked.

"What?" Ethan looked at him.

"Why S.P.D.?" He repeated. "Why do they need to call that out to summon the power?"

Ethan paused. "I don't know…it just sounds right." He said.

"What does it stand for?" Elsa asked.

"Space Patrol Delta," he answered instantly. He shrugged when they all stared at him. "I don't know…it just came to me."

Something niggled in the back of Kira's memory. She concentrated, trying to draw it out, only to have it ruined when Conner said; "it suits."

"Yes." Kira agreed simply. "It does."

And turning, they all looked once more at the new generation of Power Rangers.


End file.
